Cyril O. Berry

This collection was
donated to the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center by Rod Whitney in April
2009.

Biographical Sketch

Cyril O. Berry was
born on June 3, 1902 in Saint Mary’s, Ohio to Elmer R. and Minnie B. (Poor)
Berry.After the death of his father in
1917, Cyril, and his brother Basil, were sent to live in an orphanage for a
short time.Berry’s uncle, Earl Poor,
helped take care of the family until his mother remarried in 1920.

On February 7, 1920,
Cyril enlisted in the U.S. Army at Camp
Custer, Michigan.He was assigned to the 14th
Infantry Regiment.The entire regiment
set sail for Fort Davis, Panama on October 20, 1920, from Hoboken, New
Jersey, to guard the Gatun Locks.Berry was
appointed corporal of Company E on November 4, 1920, while stationed in Panama.He was given an honorable discharge at Fort Hamilton, New
York, on February 21, 1923.The 14th regiment remained in the Canal Zone for the next 23 years, acquiring the
unofficial nickname of “Jungleers”.

Upon returning to
Celina, Ohio, Cyril married Daisy May Denney on October 6, 1925.They had two children, Ray Ellsworth and
Eugene Marvin.During World War II he
worked for the General Motors, Lima Tank Plant.The United States purchased the property on which the plant was built in
1942 to manufacture weapons.In November
1942, United Motors Services took over operations to process vehicles under
government contract.The factory
assembled the M5 light tank and the T-26 Pershing tank.At its peak during the war, the Lima Tank
Plant employed over 5,000 people.

Cyril retired from
the Mersman Table Company in Celina, Ohio as a foreman.Berry died April 9th, 1978 in
Coldwater, Ohio and is buried at the North Grove Cemetery in Celina along with
his wife Daisy.

Scope and Content

This collection,
spanning the years from 1920 to 1945, contains 14 photographs and two Panama
Canal souvenir books depicting Cyril O. Berry’s service in the U.S. Army’s 14th
Regiment, Company E while stationed in Panama.The collection also includes 17 photographs
of the Lima Tank Factory and its workers during World War II.